Reflections

As the year winds down, I find myself thinking less about what I’ve done or what lies ahead, and more about what this year has taught me and how much I’ve still got to learn.

When it comes to writing, I've found the heart of it lives in the space between discovery and refinement. Between the creative spark and the careful work that follows. Looking back on my book, Junicka Valley, I see how much the edit has changed everything. I’m cutting lines I once loved. I’m tightening pacing, cleaning up ideas, shaping the plot, and finding words that speak truer than before. It's all about being genuine, and now that the heart of my process is beating, Junicka Valley is as real as they come.

Game design follows a similar rhythm. It all begins with an idea, but it’s the careful shifting of rules and mechanics that really makes it shine. It's surfing the changing landscape forward, always looking for that sweet spot between functional and fun.

And what do you know? Running a business is just the same! We get all these lofty ideas about the future and what we want our work to be, but it’s the nitty-gritty details that move things along. When we put our nose to the grindstone, the work really happens.

As the late, great Fred Rogers put it:

“Imagining something may be the first step in making it happen, but it takes the real time and real efforts of real people to learn things, make things, turn thoughts into deeds or visions into inventions.” — Fred Rogers

Feet on the ground, head in the sky. That’s the way to go! And that's the way I'm doing it.

Anyway, it’s been far too long since I last posted on my blog. Which is okay. I’ve learned to follow the tempo of the seasons. But I wanted everyone to know I’m still hard at work. Junicka Valley: Book One is just about done, and next year Children of the Sun is finally becoming a reality.

...Which is why I have to get back to work. 😅

Happy holidays, everyone! Be sure to subscribe to The Jupiter Club Newsletter. I’ll be sending out an end-of-year email soon with all the details about what lies ahead in 2026.

Thanks for reading!

-Sam